The Cheetah - Bill Thomas' Attempt to Dethrone the Shelby Cobra in American Racing History
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- Опубликовано: 4 дек 2023
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We all know and love the shelby cobra, but why was it made? Well the answer is actually simple. To kick as and dominate on track. And in the SCCA production class championship they did just that. But before we get into the legendary cars lets just quickly talk about the racing series its self.
The Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) National Sports Car Championship was a pivotal racing series that revolutionized sports car racing in the United States. It was the first post-World War II sports car series organized in the country, and it lasted from 1951 to 1964.
Now In the early 1960s, the SCCA production class championship races were shaken up by the introduction of the legendary Cobra. And the cobra dominated the competition. However, one man was determined to create a car that could dethrone the Cobra and take the racing world by storm. That man was Bill Thomas, a former Corvette driver and mechanic who had started his own racing team.
Thomas approached General Motors with an ambitious request - to build a car that could compete with the Cobra using parts from the Corvette bin. And In 1963, Bill Thomas gained the support of General Motors Performance Product Group head Vince Piggins to develop the Cheetah as a concept vehicle. Designed by Thomas and lead fabricator Don Edmunds, the Cheetah was a unique creation that would showcase the level of work that Thomas' company was capable of producing. The financing for the project came from private investors, Thomas himself, and John Grow, a Chevrolet dealer from Rialto, California who would eventually own the prototype car.
To construct the Cheetah, Thomas arranged for material assistance from Chevrolet for the major components. This included the Corvette 327 engine, Muncie transmission, and independent rear-end assemblies. Other components were sourced from the larger GM parts bin, such as Chevrolet passenger car spindles and NASCAR spec Chevrolet drum brakes.
Once the drivetrain components were delivered, Edmunds began laying them out on the shop floor and taking measurements. Using chalk, he sketched the basic outline of the chassis. Edmunds' design methodology for the majority of cars he built during his career was to sketch what he thought a car ought to look like, then build it. Once the chassis shape was determined, Edmunds sketched the body. He showed his drawings to Thomas, and after a few minor changes, began construction.
The Cheetah was built with a perfect weight distribution between the front and rear axles in mind. To achieve this, the Corvette engine was pushed as far back as possible, eliminating the need for a driveshaft. The V8 engine was directly connected to the rear axle via a limited slip differential, resulting in a long hood and pushed-back cockpit.
While this setup made for an impressive weight distribution, it also made for a notoriously hot cockpit. The engine's left-side exhaust ran right above the driver's feet, making for an well lets say uncomfortable driving experience. Despite this, Thomas was determined to create a true game changer in American production car racing, and the Cheetah's massive 6.3-liter engine with over 500 horsepower was a testament to this. So she was ready, superlight weight body, perfect weight distribution and a 500hp V8. So what happened?
#Cobra #Cheetah #BillThomas
I recall that the cheetah didnt handle well, had less effective braking than Cobras, and were quite unreliable . And the cobras suspension and disc brakes were far superior .
The problem. Bill Thomas was no Carroll Shelby
Had they brought it out, it would have been interesting to see which one was the legend today.
GM was so successful in thee 60s they were under threat of being broken up under antitrust law violation. GM didn't support racing program like ford. otherwise ford would have been wiped out along with porsche and ferrari as well
Cheetah win all the way :) I had a slot car version of the cheata growing up always been my favorite design.
I thought the Cheetah and the GS Corvette were the coolest cars.
last era of golden era american sporscar
After that they were the Nassau Bahamas create Shelby built a 1600 lbs 390 Cobra put the track was too brutal but it destroyed the the Grand then the 427 came out and put Chevy out of business
It would have DESTROYED the cobra shelby new it so he paid someone to burn down the factory !!!
I won't deny the possibility but I will believe it when I see it.
The narrator "Inspector Cluso"
Bravo Bravo for this report
The Super Cheetah seemed to have been the inspiration for the first Marcos, especially the handling of the Duck Tail rear end..
They're very first race of a Grand sport Corvette. Ken miles one in a GT350
You soft peddled the excessive heat problem in the cockpit of this car. It became impossible to drive for any great length of time, not just uncomfortable. The driver was squashed into an uncomfortable position in addition to the heat. You didn't even mention the car's abysmal handling characteristics? Another example of a cool looking car that looked good on paper but was destined for failure, with or without GM's assistance!